Unauthorized access central to LPS report

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on February 25, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The Professional Standards Annual Report was presented during the Lethbridge Police Commission meeting on Wednesday by Deputy Chief Scott Boyd, where he highlighted two themes that emerged after 13 external complaint and five internal complaint investigations last year.
“In 2021 two themes emerged, unauthorized access and deficient investigations. A look across related police agencies under reports, reveals that we’re not alone with these themes,” said Boyd.
He said the fact that they are not alone in this, is of little comfort to them as they see the need for improvement and have taken action to improve.
“The service has been able to enhance some of its policy and practices including but not limited to annual ethics training for officers, enhanced supervisor communication regarding reports and reviews, and adding mandatory fields of database searches in audit compliance,” said Boyd.
He said that the improvements made have recently allowed LPS to score the highest degree of compliance on both CPIC and provincial standard audits that were conducted by the RCMP and the government of Alberta.
“Criminal investigations are trending downwards, when we look at the three year comparisons, all of these matters have been reported to the director of law enforcement in our province and have been assigned to external agencies and that brings with it enhance transparency,” said Boyd.
He also highlighted the fact that in an era of social media hashtags relating to unequal treatment and oppression allegations, they are not receiving or experiencing those related allegations in Lethbridge.
“Last year saw significant change within the professional standards unit, the entire unit was replaced in 2021 and two new investigators who are assigned to replace members transferred out to other areas within the service,” said Boyd.
He said last November the filings that have gone to formal disposition, he would call the majority clean-up of past administrations.
“They were complaints that were often disclosed through a Freedom of Information (request) and then brought forward in a formal complaint, in that many of them (are) historical dating back years and the new fresh ones that are emerging here certainly don’t rise to that level,” said Boyd.
He believes the efforts of the chief, the executive team and the employees as a whole have really resonated, helping to pay dividends with audits that come with full compliance.
Wednesday’s meeting also saw LPS Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh commissioned. Lethbridge Police Commission chair Robert Van Spronsen presented Chief Mehdizadeh with a document that reads in part “appoint you commissioned officer to have, hold, exercise and enjoy the said Commission of all the powers, rights, authority, privileges, moments and advantages unto the said office of right and by law pertaining during out pleasure.”

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